


italian food, the office, and you

by lazingcat



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Capslock, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Relationship, donghyuck is soft, doyoung and taeyong are only mentioned, mark needs some love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 22:24:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15543438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazingcat/pseuds/lazingcat
Summary: anyone who goes on a date with mark will have success with their next relationship. mark just needs some love. donghyuck is there at the end of day with food and the office reruns.





	italian food, the office, and you

when mark stumbles home, it wasn’t at two a.m., with his date giggling next to him. there’s no whispers, fumbling of keys. he isn’t giddy with happiness.

no, when mark stumbles home, it’s barely 8 p.m. he’s chanted the apartment’s passcode in his head over and over again since he left the restaurant. his eyes water from the cheap convenience store cologne that itches at the back of his nose. 

all mark wants to do is shower to get the gross smell off of him (worst 10 dollars he’s ever spent) and throw himself onto his bed, wallowing about his luck. maybe if he’s lucky, the force at which he throws himself will knock him out. if not, then the cringe from rewatching the reel of the failed date in his head will.

the first thing mark is greeted with after opening the door is the enticing smell of italian food. his empty stomach grumbles in protest. he merely pats it, offering a silent condolence. if his bones wasn’t sagging from disappointment and fatigue, then he would have indulged his stomach. 

“i’m back,” mark calls out, taking a moment to remove his shoes. donghyuck would have killed him if he tracked shoe prints all over the apartment. speaking of his roommate, a mop of orange hair pops from the kitchen and gives him a disapproving scan.

“you left less than an hour ago. did you miss me that much?” 

“what.” mark stares at donghyuck, eyebrows furrowing. he knew why mark came back early. donghyuck has spent countless sleepless nights, just listening to mark complain about it. granted it was always with bleary eyes and poorly concealed yawns, but still. why was he-

“did you miss me that much,” donghyuck repeated. and it clicks. the amount of gratitude mark felt is almost palpable. his lips twitch into a semblance of a smile.

“Yeah, i guess i missed your ugly mug.”

“excuse you, it’s a gift to see my face in it’s bare form,” donghyuck scoffs, but there’s no irritation in his voice. if anything, he sounds endeared, and the thought of that relieves some of mark’s bad mood. “now shoo, go shower. whatever you’re wearing stinks.”

mark’s already ahead of him, jogging off. donghyuck just fondly shakes his head at his roommate’s antics and returns to their kitchen, humming.

when mark finally feels like he’s scrubbed the last of the curse cologne off, he stumbles into their living room. water drips from his hair onto their washed out rug. the office plays on the tv doyoung had so generously donated when he and donghyuck first moved in. donghyuck has moved from humming to singing red velvet’s latest title track. 

his feet drag him onto their couch that taeyong and their other hyungs had gotten them as a housewarming gift. the couch has permanent dips from the countless nights mark has spent lounging and cramming for tests, not to mention, the numerous naps they’ve taken together.  
sighing, mark collapses onto the couch. without a doubt, donghyuck would scold him for not drying his hair. but that only brought a warm feeling in his chest. the mockumentary and everything else fades into the background like static as he closes his eyes. his bad mood seeps out of his system as he takes in breathes of air. this was their home, his and donghyuck’s.

donghyuck, the loud kid he roomed with his second year of college, who he continued to room with after that because hey, he cleaned after his own messes. and that was more than he could say for the other people his friends have had the pleasure of rooming with. donghyuck who managed to warm his way into mark’s heart (it wasn’t hard. mark was an awkward dork who had a heart bigger than the sun) with his tsundere-ness, always whining about mark, but the first to come to defense. always there to talk about his day, no matter how pointless, so that mark doesn’t feel lonely. donghyuck who had a heart bigger than his own, but a unique way of showing it.

that brat, mark thought to himself, but even he couldn’t help the fond smile that appeared.

“why are you smiling all dopey like that?” donghyuck stares at mark with a judging look. 

“i’m not.” mark’s eloquent response makes donghyuck look up at their ceiling with a sigh. 

“oh canada,” donghyuck complains, before getting a look at mark’s damp hair. “hyung, what did i tell you about not drying your hair? you’re going to get sick again! and then i’ll have to nurse you back to health, again!”

“i’ll dry it later. can’t we eat first?” mark does not pout. he most certainly does not whine. or so he tells himself anyways.

“i’ve gotten too soft,” donghyuck mutters, glaring at mark with no real heat. mark follows him to the kitchen to retrieve the food. glancing at the fridge and then to mark, donghyuck silently contemplates if beer was an option. well, it’s a friday. it wouldn’t hurt, he thinks as he grabs two bottles.

“i thought you were going to order takeout,” mark asks in between scarfing spaghetti down. there’s a big smudge of sauce at the corner of his lips. it takes donghyuck pointing and teasing him for eating like a kid for mark to notice.

“yeah, but taeyong made too much spaghetti and dropped it off right after you left. he’s probably stress cooking again, that hyung,” donghyuck rolls his eyes. it is nearing midterms after all. trust taeyong to be the most stressed, when he’s probably the most prepared out of their friend group. he hasn’t even started revisions yet, something which he knows he’ll regret soon.

mark hums in agreement, not offering anything more than that.

they nurse their drinks while watching the office. the moon’s risen high and above, shining light into their dim apartment. their eyes don’t stray from the television as they watch the chaos of the Dundler-Mifflin staff unravel. 

sitting next to donghyuck, on their worn couch, mark feels warm. there’s a cozy feeling in his chest that he credits the alcohol with. whatever he was feeling early already has dissipated, leaving behind a sense of content. he turns and looks at donghyuck, who’s completely immersed in watching angela throw her cat into the vents. 

there’s a flush in donghyuck’s skin because of the beer consumed. his fingers are mindless tapping against the bottle. in the dim light the tv casts off, looking at donghyuck, mark feels warmth. he turns back to the tv.

“thanks.” 

“anytime hyung.” if he notices anything amount the space between them getting a little smaller, he doesn’t comment. there’s only silence as they watch dwight file complaint after complaint about jim. 

if mark had looked back, he would have seen donghyuck looking at him with that same fond look in his eyes. 

 

 

(mark does get sick the next day. donghyuck complains and call him an idiot, but nurses him back to health, just as he promised.)

**Author's Note:**

> happy birthday to mark! it makes me sad that ot7 dream will soon only be a memory, but i'm excited to see what the future holds!
> 
> this is the first piece of writing i've done since winter, so please forgive the awkwardness. i've got some ideas for more short little NCT fics, which will hopefully be finished soon~
> 
> i hope you enjoyed reading this!


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